Americans have a mighty hankering for sugar. It seems that we just can’t get enough of the stuff. It is estimated that the average American eats, drinks, slurps, stirs and sprinkles about half a cup of sugar per day, and 150 pounds of it annually. Sugar deserves some of its bad reputation. From its well-known role in the process of tooth decay, to its implication in cases of pre-diabetes, excessive sugar intake has become a cause of concern for all people. Luckily, there is a go-to alternative.

In August, we chatted with John J. Cannell, M.D., about the latest research on vitamin D and the flu. This month, we will discuss Dr. Cannell’s hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency is a trigger for autism and other childhood diseases of modern civilization.

Ever notice how a particular task can be tiring, but the minute you switch to something else, you’re full of energy? Where did your fatigue go? Our minds have surprising power to quickly change our intensity levels and emotions. In retailing, when Labor Day arrives, if you’ve been away on vacation, it’s really tough to immediately click back into work mode. And, if you haven’t had a vacation, it’s doubly hard to stay in the groove when everyone else around you is rested and refreshed. What can you do? Change helps wake up our spirits. Here are a few ideas to help you re-energize your store and yourself in the process.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a science whiz, a bookworm or a history buff. If you’re a retailer, you’ve got to be a math person. Or possibly even a numbers addict—no matter how much you despised algebra in high school.

Think about it. How many times per month do you make sure your books are in order? Or that your part-timers’ hours add up properly? Or that the quantities of your latest shipments are perfect?

Plentiful on market shelves and sometimes fermented for decades, wine is enjoyed by millions of aficionados across the globe. Whether savored at meal time or just to relax and unwind, a component in wine—resveratrol—is said to offer health benefits. To fully access the benefits of this important nutrient without the detrimental effects of consuming too much alcohol, nutrition stores stock concentrated resveratrol supplements that support heart, circulatory, cellular, bone health and more (1, 2).

After some 18 years and seemingly interminable debates between two sharply divided camps, the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL), at its 39th session held in Quebec City, Canada, the week of May 9–13, 2011, finally reached a consensus on a watered-down labeling guideline for genetically modified organism (GMO) foods.

Whenever I hear the New Jersey Lottery slogan, “Give your dreams a chance,” I can’t help but imagine what I would do if I won the big jackpot. I have a few earmarks nailed down: the local animal rescue center, college funds for my son and nieces, and my county’s homeless shelter and soup kitchen. “Who else could really use a handout?” I always find myself asking. Recently, I surprised myself with a name that came to mind: our very own U.S. Food and Drug Administration.